Select Local Merchants

Peace Art Paint and Sip hosts nightly creative classes, providing a fun bonding experience for couples or a ladies' night out. Inside the studio, visitors can post up at 16"x20" canvases with provided brushes and paints?and brought-along adult beverages, if they so desire. During each session, instructors lead students through easy-to-follow steps to complete a finished work of art ready to be displayed on a wall or used as a backdrop for a model train set.

Neal Portnoy’s creative caricatures adorn the walls of celebrities such as Jay Leno and Jack Nicklaus. Part entertainer, part athlete, and part artist, Neal prides himself on his ability to entertain crowds while simultaneously creating stunning works of portrait art, caricature art, and commemorative pieces. Wielding only felt-tipped pens, Neal recreates scenes in stunningly vivid illustrations, which have been commissioned by organizations such as the Children’s Miracle Network and media guides for countless NCAA schools. He also draws on his keen sense of humor to delight audiences and subjects with customized caricatures that are comical, yet also characterized by an intuitive sense of grounded reality.

Only one addition could make the limbo, hula-hooping, or the monkey dance even more fun: bubbles. Worcester Bubble Parties' bubble machines spit out floating spheres of all sizes as fun, age-appropriate music plays. Kids can jump around in the iridescent orbs to the beat, try to catch and pop wayward bubbles, or wait until the machines power down and join in activities such as the limbo.

A haven for exotic animals rescued from neglect or abandonment, Animal Adventures lets visitors interact with its furry and scaly refugees, teaching them firsthand to appreciate and respect the earth's diverse wildlife. Working with a rotating cast of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and marsupials, animal experts regale audiences with facts and the backstories of each animal, such as how they were rescued and which cartoon representative of their species best captures their regional accent. Though its denizens regularly find new homes, Animal Adventures's altruistic menagerie has included a massive alligator snapping turtle, a canadian lynx, and an asian water monitor. The sanctuary also offers day camps for youngsters looking to get closer with the animals, and an animal-adoption program for adults looking to support the cause by taking a critter home and putting it through college.

Weddings. Anniversaries. Proms. The experts at A&M Entertainment and Lighting add excitement to all sorts of occasions. DJs create personalized playlists for events, touching on hosts' favorite genres, songs, or 17th-century indie composers that the masses have probably never heard of. The team also includes lighting experts who can dramatically change the look of an event with colored lights and effects.